Always With Me
by Shebu
Summary: Losing a loved one is hard, harder than you could ever imagine.  Link tries to figure out what to do with his grief and depression when someone dear passes away.  Oneshot.


**A/N:**

**Just a little scenario that popped up in my head when I was feeling depressed one night. Decided to post it. Based on the theory that the Sages die in order to become Sages, strongly implied by what happened to Nabooru in the game.**

**I'm not sure if this is ooc or not, but please, just R/R! Give me critiques, suggestions, etc. I would like to improve my writing skills.**

**I do not own the Legend of Zelda.**

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><p>Link inhaled and exhaled slowly, trying to catch his shallow breath as he stared down at Ganondorf's phantom which was burning up in blue flames, disintegrating into a pile of black ash. His battered and wounded body swayed as his legs subtly shook, trying to stay on his feet. Blood stained his once-green tunic as it poured out of the gash in his side. The crimson blood was all over the floor too, but it wasn't just the Hero's blood that covered it.<p>

He limped over to the small, broken body that lay at the side of the large room. It was the body of a young girl, clothed in green and with short green hair. Her skin was pale and dead and her eyes were closed as she rested there in an eternally peaceful slumber. Her whole torso cut open, and dark crimson blood spread all over. Link's knees gave out and he fell to his knees beside her. He stared in utter and complete shock and an overwhelming grief that he could not fathom came over him. He lifted her small, frail body in his arms and held her close as he buried his face in her forest green hair. Tears flooded into his eyes and streamed down his cheeks as he held her, sobbing uncontrollably.

The young Hero had never wept like this in his life.

"_S-…Saria… I'm so… so sorry… I couldn't save you… I…"_

He found himself at a loss of words; he could not speak. All he could do was hold her, hopelessly waiting for some goddess-sent miracle that would never come. He had failed her. He failed the Sages. He had failed the princess. How could he have been so stupid? He couldn't be by her side any sooner, he could have saved her if he had been there earlier. _Why?_ How could this happen? The only one who cared about him when he lived in the forest, the only one who treated him like a human being, fairy or not, _dead? _

_Why…_

He sat on his knees, with her small body rested in his arms for a long time. He didn't know how long he sobbed there, he didn't care about how much his entire body ached and stung. All he knew was grief, sadness, loss… He didn't want to face the world anymore.

A small blue ball of light fluttered over to his side and landed on his shoulder. The fairy silently grieved for the girl as well and hugged his shoulder tight. "_Link…_" She whispered to his ear. He turned his head to face her, his face still wet with tears. He opened his mouth to say something, but she quickly silenced him. "_Ssshh_… it's alright." She assured him.

Although the Hero was seventeen years old physically, she always knew he was still that same naïve ten-year-old boy on the inside. He wasn't fully matured as an adult, nor did he understand the meaning of sacrifice and death. He was still only a child…

Link closed his eyes as a bright light overtook him. He thought he was dreaming or hallucinating, maybe even dead. He suddenly found himself in the Sacred Realm, sitting on a Triforce-shaped pedestal. Standing in front of him was none other than that bright, pleasant, beautiful smiling face he once knew.

"_SARIA!_"

He got to his feet at once, but still very weak from his wounds, he fell to his knees again. Tears began to flow down his cheeks once more, this time with sheer joy and happiness to see her face again.

The Kokiri girl softly chuckled. Her voice was quiet and sweet, just as it had always been. The warm pink cheeks of hers shined brightly on her face unlike how he had seen it moments before, when it was cold and pale. "Link…"

"I… I thought I lost you… Saria, I thought you were…"

She finished his sentence for him, "Dead?" He nodded.

"Oh Link…" She let out an amused sigh, shaking her head slowly, "But I am."

His smile quickly disappeared when his eyes widened with shock and disbelief. He soon remembered that he was only just holding her cold lifeless body only a moment ago, and inferred that he was only speaking to her soul in this Sacred Realm. His head drooped down and he closed his eyes, trying to hold back any more tears. This was just unbearable.

"Don't be sad, Link." She told him softly, "It wasn't your fault. I shouldn't have gone into the temple alone, and for that, I paid the price for underestimating the dangers of it."

"_But you don't understand! I could have saved you_! But I…" He held his face in his hands, overcome with guilt. He continued to sob into his hands, tears wetting them.

"I said it wasn't your fault."

"B-but… you can't die… I need you. I always have…"

"_Link. Listen to me."_

He looked up into her bright blue eyes, now hardened with a look of seriousness. She had only done this when she told him what he needed to do, just like the times when he lived in the forest.

"My body may be dead, but since you've awakened me as the Sage of Forest, my spirit will stay here in the Sacred Realm forever, guarding and protecting the forest… and you."

She summoned a beam of light, and from it appeared a fist-sized green medallion. She dropped in into his hands, "This is a symbol of my power. It has now been added to yours. Keep it with you and cherish it well."

Link looked down at the small medallion. He had gotten one like this before from Rauru. It must've had some kind of Sage-like power trapped inside of it. He could feel is pulsing ever so softly, like a child's small, warm heart, beating with life and love. It was like holding her very life in his hands… only, that life was no more, and all that remained were her trapped spirit and this medallion, and the cold, dead, bloody body that was wrapped in his arms.

"I always knew you weren't the same as us Kokiri." She started, as Link gave her a questioning look. "I knew you'd leave someday. You always talking about leaving the forest, and deep down, I knew you weren't kidding. And look at us now, you've gone and grown up…" She gave him a nostalgic look that somehow made Link's heart wrench a bit, making his throat tighten while holding back an extra sob or two. He just _couldn't_ stop crying, and he didn't even know why.

"It's going to be alright." She gave him a smile, "Take it and continue to find and awaken the other Sages. And remember…" She trailed off as a bright light washed over him again, temporarily blinding him. "_I will always be your friend_…"

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><p>"<em>Is he… dead?"<em>

"_Can I touch him?"_

"_No! Just shut up and get away! It might be evil!"_

"_Fado, he's dressed like us, he can't possibly be evil."_

"_You never know…"_

The first thing Link heard when he started to drift back into consciousness were voices. They were soft, sing-songy, childlike voices. His eyes fluttered open to see the bright faces of green-clad Kokiri children, surrounding him and staring. He guessed they had never seen a big person before, and this was their first time. He hadn't seen them when he was walking through the village earlier, they had all been hidden in their homes.

_But why were they out now…_

"_IT'S ALIVE!"_ He heard one yell, they all screamed and scurried around in a scramble of excited laughter and giggles.

"Outta the way, boss coming through."

Link tried sitting up, but soon fell back down due to the large wound in his side, still throbbing and bleeding. He glanced around, seeing that he was in the meadow, sitting under the Deku Tree's dead remains. Mido walked up next to him and bent over, smiling. "You did it. The forest is free now." He chuckled, but the smile on his face soon turned into a look of concern when he saw sadness in Link's cold blue eyes. "You okay? What happened? You don't look so good…"

He stared for a moment, and covered his eyes with his right arm. He didn't want Mido to see him cry… not again. He couldn't help it, his eyes watered and tears streamed down his cheeks. "I-I'm fine…" He choked out, "But Saria can't leave the temple… I-I'm sorry… Mido…"

The red-headed boy stared at him in confusion, but soon realized what he was trying to say. He nodded slowly and hung his head, putting a hand on Link's shoulder. "I-It's okay. I know… She told me she would leave too, someday…"

Mido stood up and took a deep breath, looking down at the young hero, "You need anything? You look really bad…"

Link uncovered his face and stared up at him from the ground, a small smile creasing his lips. "Thanks." He added.

As Mido walked off to the village, Link was lost in his own thoughts. So many emotions and feelings surged through his head, and he was starting to wonder… was what he was doing really the right thing? Navi fluttered over and landed on his forehead, giving him a small kiss. He gave her a friendly pat, and held the medallion in his hands, looking it over again and again. "I wonder if awakening every Sage would be this hard…" He thought aloud. The blue fairy shrugged, "You did your best, and that's all that matters."

"I just hope this doesn't have to happen to anyone else… I don't want to lose any more friends…"

He closed his eyes and drifted into a long, needed sleep. For that moment, he was peaceful.

**END.**


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